Thai Chicken Pasta Salad #SundayFunday

This colorful salad is tossed in a creamy, sweet, salty, spicy dressing.  It makes a perfect weeknight meal, takes less than 30 minutes to make, and the leftovers are perfect for packing for school or work lunches. 

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are sharing Peanut recipes today......

Copycat Panera Thai Chicken Salad #SundayFunday

 I think that of all the fast-food options available, the one we enjoy most often is Panera.  I feel that they offer more nutritious food that is not only quick but also colorful, healthy, and delicious.  This Thai Chicken Salad was one of my favorites, but the last time I visited, it was no longer on the menu.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are sharing recipes containing Almonds today.......

H is for Hamburger

Lean Hamburger meat stir-fried with red peppers, carrots, jalapenos, and scallions in a savory, flavorful Thai-inspired sauce, served over steamed white rice and topped with a perfectly fried egg.

H is for Hamburger......

Shrimp Pad Thai, The Weekly Menu and a Book Review

This quick dinner is perfect for those days when you walk in the door, starving, but have forgotten to take anything out for dinner.  

You will have made and eaten this dish in less time than it would take to phone and have it delivered. 

Thai Basil Chicken #FarmersMarketWeek

Tender white meat chicken pieces, colorful bell peppers, and sweet onions, tossed together in a savory sauce, garnished with fried basil leaves.

Today is the final day of Farmer's Market Week.....

Vegetarian Drunken Noodles #SundayFunday

This is a quick and easy Drunken Noodles recipe.  Drunken Noodles normally have meat or seafood included, however I chose to go vegetarian with this recipe for the Lenten season.  Feel free to add a protein if you like.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are celebrating National Noodle Month.....

Pork Satays #SummerGamesWeek

Strips of tender pork tossed in a spicy sauce and threaded onto skewers before being grilled to perfections.  These Satays are a classic Thai street food.

Gluten Free Gingery Peanut Pasta #FoodieExtravaganza

 An easy Thai inspired dish that is perfect for a quick Meatless Monday meal using ingredients you probably have on hand.

  The members of Foodie Extravaganza are celebrating National Peanut Butter Month......

Peanut Butter and Jelly Chicken #OurFamilyTable

OH MY YUM!!  Tender boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cooked in a sauce of creamy peanut butter and jalapeno jelly and served over rice.  This meal cooks up all day in a Slow Cooker.  When you get home you need only steam some rice and stir fry some vegetables.  What an easy and delicious dinner!!

The From Our Dinner Table Group are sharing Peanut Butter Recipes today......

Grilled Pork Thai Bowl #BBQWeek

A beautifully composed bowl of rice vermicelli, savoy cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, cilantro and mint topped with perfectly seasoned and grilled pork tenderloin.

It's Day 3 of BBQ Week.................................

Thai Burger #FantasticalFoodFight

Ground pork, diced bacon and Thai flavorings combine to make this juicy, flavorful burger.  Top it with a spicy coleslaw mixture and you have a complete dinner.

We are having a Burger Showdown today over at Fantastical Food Fight and I think I may have this one in the bag!!!

Vegetable Pad Thai #NationalPeanutButterDay

This Vegetable Pad Thai is perfect for the New Year. Tons of veggies and tender rice noodles coated in a sweet and spicy sauce.

Join us as we celebrate National Peanut Butter Day..........

Gai Pad Prik and the Weekly Menu #FoodiesRead

A delicious, healthy and easy one pot meal that is perfect for busy weeknights.

I was inspired to make this Chicken Pad Prik after reading a new novel written by a friend and former co-worker turned author, Chad Richardson.

Pork Paillards with Thai Pan Sauce #KitchenMatrixCookingProject

Pork Cutlets dredged in peanuts before being browned and finished in a Thai Pan Sauce that you family is going to love.

Join us as we explore the world of Paillards with the Kitchen Matrix Cooking Project......

Gai Pad Gratiem Prik Thai #EattheWorld

Today we are visiting Thailand in our quest to Eat the World.  This wonderful adventure is brought to you by Evelyne of CulturEatz.

Each month Evelyne invites us to explore the cuisine of a different country. So far this year we have visited Cuba in February and Ireland in March.  I shared a recipe for Ropa Vieja that I made in the slow cooker and a recipe for Irish Stew that I made in the Instant pot.

This month, as we are visiting Thailand, my cooking vessel of choice was, of course, a wok.  I love my wok and use it quite often.  Not only for Asian foods but also when I am frying foods. It also makes a great paella pan.

I cook a lot of Asian food, but other than pad thai, not really much Thai food.  So I went on a search and found a website called Real Thai Recipes.  There were so many from which to choose. I was seriously drooling all over my laptop.

I finally narrowed it down by looking in my refrigerator and seeing a package of chicken breasts that I had bought for another meal that didn't get made.  A search of chicken recipes made the site much easier to navigate and I finally settled on this Garlic Pepper Chicken.

I adapted the recipe slightly, reducing the amount of pepper in consideration for my husband who is spice sensitive.  To be honest, this dish with the reduced pepper was a little bland.  I blame it on the fact that I didn't season the chicken.  I don't normally use salt in Asian recipes because of the sodium content in soy sauce.  This recipe doesn't call for soy sauce.  We ended up using soy sauce at the table and that helped immensely.

There was nothing not to like about this dish.  The chicken was tender and juicy.  The flavor though bland, was not unpleasant.  I think perhaps just the white pepper was not enough all by itself.  Maybe had I added the entire amount called for but I think it needed something with a little more bite.  Frank and Melody liked it much better than I so maybe it is just personal preference.

I served it up with some steamed rice, adding in some frozen mixed veggies during the last 10 minutes or so of steaming time.  There were no leftovers so I guess that speaks volumes.

I'm anxious to see what the others are sharing from their visit to Thailand.  There are links to each recipe at the bottom of this post.

Garlic Pepper Chicken (Gai Pad Gratiem Prik Thai)

adapted from Real Thai Recipes

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1/4 c. garlic cloves (about 12) smashed

3/4 t. sugar

1/2 t. white pepper

1 3/4 t. fish sauce

1 T. peanut oil

Heat the peanut oil in a wok over med high heat.  When oil is shimmering add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly until light brown.  Add the chicken and stir fry until no longer pink inside, 2-3 minutes.  Add the sugar, fish sauce, pepper and 1-2 T. water.   Stir to coat chicken and serve.  Print Recipe

Check out all the wonderful Thai dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

• Camilla: Thai One On
• Amy: Chicken Satay
• Evelyne: Thai Steamed Fish Recipe with Lime and Garlic Sauce
• Wendy: Gai Pad Gratiem Prik Thai
• Margaret: Shrimp Laksa - a light and luscious Thai Soup
• Loreto and Nicoletta: Thai Noodle Shrimp Spicy Salad

Thai Inspired Noodles #PeanutButter

Happy National Peanut Butter Day!!   I LOVE peanut butter so I think this calls for a celebration!  So does my friend, Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventure.  Christie asked us all to join her today in posting recipes featuring Peanut Butter.  I'm sure we are going to have a lot of delicious sweet foods from which to choose but I wanted to go savory.

Some of you may know that on Tuesday and Wednesday we keep our granddaughter and our house becomes toddler centered for these 2 days each week.  Our dinners on Tuesday have come to be known as Toddler Tuesdays when I cook food that is toddler friendly.  

Melody's favorite food in the world is noodles.  I decided to make her some Thai Inspired Noodles.  Peanut Butter and Noodles, what more could a toddler want?  

Dinner doesn't get much easier than this.  Simply boil the noodles adding the precut and packaged veggies during the last one minute of cooking.  

While the noodles are cooking, mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, chili sauce, garlic and ginger.  Drain the noodles and vegetables, retaining 1 c. of the cooking water to mix with the peanut mixture.

Toss it together with the noodles and veggies and dinner is served.  Our toddler loved this on a Tuesday.  No toddler?  Go ahead and enjoy this on a Meatless Monday or turn Tuesday into Thai Tuesday just for fun.

Thai Inspired Noodles

1/2 c. smooth peanut butter

2 T. soy sauce

1/2 T. garlic paste

1/2  T. ginger paste

1 T. sweet chili sauce

1 (11 oz) pkg. Stir Fry Veggies

1 (8 oz) pkg. Lo Mein Noodles

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the noodles and cook per package directions, during the last minute of cooking add the veggies to the boiling water with the noodles.

While the noodles cook, stir together the peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and chili sauce.

Drain the noodles and veggies, retaining 1 cup of the cooking water.  Return the water to the pan along with the peanut butter mixture.  Stir together until smooth and melted.  Add the pasta and veggies to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce.  Print Recipe

More Recipes Celebrating Peanut Butter

• 3 Healthy Peanut Butter Smoothies by Bear & Bug Eats
• Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce by Everyday Eileen
• Marshmallow Peanut Butter Cookies by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls by The Freshman Cook
• E.T. Cookies by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Easy Peanut Butter & Chocolate Swirled Fudge by Cookaholic Wife
• Easy Peanut Butter and Banana Croissants by Jonesin' For Taste
• Fluffernutter Macaron by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• My Family's Favorite Peanut Butter Cookie (recipe remake) by Family Around the Table
• No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Pie by Soulfully Made
• Nutter Butter Ice Cream Cone Cookies by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Granola Squares by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie Bowl by Simple and Savory
• Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oatmeal by Frugal Pantry
• Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Peanut Butter Mocha Cupcakes by Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
• Peanut Butter Mousse Parfaits by The Redhead Baker
• Honey Peanut Butter Popcorn by The Gingered Whisk
• Peanut Butter Snowballs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Peanut Ginger Pasta by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Thai Inspired Noodles by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Zoodles with Thai Peanut Sauce #CrazyIngredientChallenge

Welcome to this month's edition of CIC where the theme is Peanuts and Zucchini.  This fun group has a vote each month that allows members to choose 1 item from 2 different lists, the top vote in each list then gets paired with the top vote in the other list and voila.....the Crazy Ingredient Challenge is on!!

I was tempted to make a zucchini nut bread using peanuts for the nuts but that kinda seemed like a copout and I really wanted to make a savory dish.

I had made this Peanut Stew a few months ago and I thought about revisiting a stew made with peanuts and zucchini but when the weather is warm I prefer salads over stews. When I think of peanuts in a savory dish, my mind always jumps to Thai food.  I love Thai and we make it quite often.  I had just made this delicious Thai Noodle Salad  last month.  In fact, I chose it as my favorite post from last month during First Monday Favorites.  I thought that I could make another, adding zucchini to the mix and then it struck me that I could make zoodles and forgo the pasta completely.

So I grabbed the shredding blade for my food processor and made quick work of turning a couple of zucchini into a bowl full of zoodles.

Then I started hunting around for what I had that would make a great Thai style dressing.  I grabbed some peanut butter, ginger, garlic, lime, cilantro, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and honey.  These items went into my heavy duty blender on puree and soon became a peanutty dressing.

Toss it together, give it a sprinkling of peanuts for garnish and you have a wonderful meatless lunch or side dish for dinner.  

You can find what the others have created using Peanuts and Zucchini following my recipe.  Have a great month everyone and meet all your challenges head on!!

Zoodles with Thai Peanut Sauce

2 large zucchini

1/4 c. peanut butter

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. rice wine vinegar

1 T. peanut oil

2 T. honey

1 t. garlic paste

1 t. ginger paste

1 jalapeno, cored and seeded

1 large handful cilantro leaves

juice of 1 lime

1/4 c. crushed peanuts

Using a spiralizer or food processor, shred the zucchini into long strips.  Place in a bowl and toss to separate.

Place the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, honey, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice in a heavy duty blender and puree until smooth.  Taste and season with salt as necessary.

Pour the dressing over the zoodles and toss to coat.  Garnish with crushed peanuts, if desired. Print Recipe

More Peanutty Zucchini Recipes

An InLinkz Link-up

Thai Noodle Salad

Tomorrow I am sharing another BBQ Week recipe with you but today? Today I am sharing the side dish that I made to go with it, a Thai Noodle Salad.

This quick and easy salad is wonderful.  I couldn't get enough of it and I can't wait to make it again.  I had it for dinner with Asian Inspired Pork Kebabs that I will be sharing with you tomorrow. Then I had it as a snack that night while watching tv.  The next day, I had it for lunch and was very disappointed when it was all gone.

It is chock full of fresh veggies, lightly dressed with Thai Flavors and then sprinkled with crushed dry roasted peanuts.

This was the perfect accompaniment to the kebabs and would be delicious with any grilled meat or even as a light Meatless meal.  It is going to be made again and again in this household.

Thai Noodle Salad
adapted from MyRecipes

8 oz. angel hair pasta, cooked per package directions
handful of cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
juice of large lime
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. tangerine honey
1 1/2 t. sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 of an English cucumber, thinly sliced
2 carrots, scraped and grated
1 c. finely shredded Napa cabbage
5-6 mint leaves, chopped
handful of dry roasted peanuts, crushed

Place cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, soy sauce, lime juice, honey and sesame oil in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Toss together the pasta, carrots, cucumber, cabbage and mint leaves.  Add the dressing and toss to coat.  Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with the crushed peanuts.  Serve at room temperature. Print Recipe